Vacuum cleaner

ABSTRACT

Vacuum cleaner including a unit, comprising an electric motor and an associated suction fan, and a suction nozzle (36) connected to the inlet side of the unit via a dust separating device (15), either directly or via a connectable rigid conduit (13). The vacuum cleaner comprises a handheld unit (10) which when not in use is arranged to be positioned on a stationary storage unit (11), said handheld unit (10) incorporating the said unit and the dust separating device (15) and being provided with a coupling means (12) for connecting of the rigid conduit (13). For power supply purposes, by means of an extensible flex (26), the handheld unit (10) is connected to the storage unit (11) which via an additional flex (39) is connectable to a mains outlet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner including a unitcomprising an electric motor and an associated suction fan, a rigidconduit connectable to the inlet side of the unit via a dust separatingdevice and a suction nozzle connectable to the opposite side of theconduit.

Vacuum cleaners according to the above general definition exist invarious designs. A common type is the canister cleaner having the shapeof a larger loaf and comprising a suction fan driven by an electricmotor. The vacuum cleaner has an inlet opening connected to a suctionnozzle via a hose and a so-called extension tube. Air is conducted fromthe suction nozzle, via the extension tube and the hose into the vacuumcleaner in which it passes through a filter in the shape of a dustcontainer where the dust particles conveyed by the air are separated.Then, the air passes the suction fan and is also led past the motor forthe purpose of cooling the same before being let out to the ambientatmosphere, usually after having passed through an additional filterwhich acts also as a diffusor. When the vacuum cleaner is to be used, aperson grips a handle disposed at the end of the hose turned away fromthe vacuum cleaner and connecting the hose with the extension tube. Inthis way the user can move the suction nozzle across the underlyingsurface and if needed the vacuum cleaner, which is provided with wheels,can be moved across the underlying surface by the user pulling the hose.

Another kind of vacuum cleaner is the so-called upright cleaner whichcomprises a floor unit and a handle part. The floor unit comprises asuction nozzle and, in addition, a rotating brush having a beatingeffect on soft surfaces, like wall-to-wall carpets. The handle partcomprises a larger dust container and also serves as an operating meansfor controlling the movement of the floor unit across the surface to becleaned.

The two types of vacuum cleaners referred to above both haveconsiderable weight, of the order of 5-10 kg, and are cumbersome in usedue to weight. A particularly difficult situation is when the vacuumcleaner is to be taken out from or put into a storage cabinet or, forexample in a multi-level structure, when it is to be moved between twodifferent floors.

On the market there is also a type of vacuum cleaner which to someextent remedies the disadvantage caused by weight. This type of vacuumcleaner, often referred to as a stick vacuum cleaner, is of the samecategory as the upright cleaner however, the floor unit comprises asuction nozzle only (i.e., without any rotating brush) and the vacuumcleaner is smaller and also less heavy than the normal upright cleaner.A disadvantage is that for weight reasons the vacuum cleaner is equippedwith a smaller motor fan unit causing the vacuum cleaner to be lessefficient as compared to the corresponding canister cleaner or uprightcleaner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Based on the stick vacuum cleaner, referred to, it is an object of theinvention is to make this cleaner as efficient as a corresponding vacuumcleaner of the canister type or the upright type and at the same time toreduce the weight even further. In order for this to be achieved it isnecessary to focus onto the heaviest unit in the vacuum cleaner, namelythe motor fan unit and then, in the first place, the motor.

From turbo units in automobiles it is known that by use of rapidlyrotating impellers, small in size, it is possible to introduce underpressure large amounts of air into the intake system of an automotiveengine. In this case a high pressure is created by means of the impellerbut, of course, a suction force can be created correspondingly. Thisidea is the basis for the invention, namely that by means of a rapidlyrotating impeller, small in size, it would be possible to create asuction effect of the same magnitude as in the vacuum cleaners of thecanister or the upright type, respectively, referred to above, however,with reduced dimensions of the suction fan. In this case the impeller isnot driven by exhaust gases as in the automobile case but by an electricmotor which has to operate at a speed considerably exceeding the speedup to now commonly used in vacuum cleaner motors. With the type of loadused the high speed makes it possible to obtain the same power as in avacuum cleaner of the common type but with reduced dimensions of themotor. The part of the invention relating to the design of a hand-holdunit in the shape of a stick vacuum cleaner as concerns the type ofsuction fan and the drive motor for same is the subject matter ofSwedish Patent Application No. 9300033-9 having the same filing date asthe present application.

In the present application the object is to further develop the conceptof a hand-held vacuum cleaning unit such that as few parts as possibleare included in the unit and other parts required which arespace-consuming and heavy be collected in another unit which can beplaced stationary on the floor adjacent to a wall outlet and which canserve as a storage unit for the hand-held vacuum cleaning unit. Withinthe definition "stationary" there is included also the meaning that theplacement is stationary during vacuuming but that the unit is movable tomake possible the storage in a closet or the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in more detail in connection with anembodiment with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner according to theinvention comprising a hand-held vacuum cleaning unit and a stationarystorage unit for said hand-held unit;

FIG. 2 shows the hand-held vacuum cleaning unit ready for use;

FIG. 3 shows, in a top view, the hand-held unit placed on the storageunit;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the storage unit, showing, inparticular, a flex winder disposed in said unit; and

FIG. 5 shows the storage unit in a side view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The vacuum cleaner according to the invention comprises a hand-heldvacuum cleaning unit 10 and a storage unit 11 for the storage of same.The vacuum cleaning unit 10 comprises a suction fan and an electricmotor for driving the fan, said fan and motor forming a motor-fan unit.The design of said parts are discussed in detail in the parallelapplication referred to above and they will not be described nor shownin detail in this context.

The air passage through the unit 10 includes a coupling part 12 for theconnection of a rigid tube 13, often referred to as an extension tube(FIG. 2). Moreover, a cavity 14 is included in which a dust container 15is being disposed. The intake channel of the suction fan, not shown,opens into the cavity 14 and the air is discharged via an exhaustopening marked by 16 in FIG. 1. As known, the exhaust opening can becovered by an. additional filter, not shown, referred to as a diffusorfilter and operating to further purify the exhaust air.

On its side, the vacuum cleaning unit 10 is provided with a door 17 thatcan be turned outwards and which is connected with the dust containersuch that the latter is turned outwards when the door is opened,facilitating the replacement of the dust container. On its upper sidethe vacuum cleaning unit is provided with a handle 18, at the front endof which there is provided an operating panel 19. The panel comprisespush-buttons and like operating means 20, 21, 22 by means of which theoperation of the vacuum cleaner can be controlled.

In order to relieve the vacuum cleaning unit 10 of excessive weightcertain parts which are important for the operation of the unit havebeen transferred to the storage unit 11 which is disposed on the floor.The storage unit has a recess 23 in which the vacuum cleaning unit 10can be inserted and locked. This may take place, for example, by thevacuum cleaning unit, before being inserted into the recess 23 in whichto cooperate with some kind of locking means, being moved in such a waythat the coupling part 12 enters an opening 24 in a fastening member 25on the storage unit. A catch means, not shown, operates to retain thevacuum cleaning unit in its locked position and the vacuum cleaning unitcan be detached after the release of the catch means by operating of apush-button 47. The locking means, the catch means and partstransmitting movement from the push-button 47 can be designed indifferent ways and the design is of no crucial importance in respect ofthe invention.

The vacuum cleaning unit 10 is electrically connected to the storageunit 11 by a cord or cable 26 which is stored on a cord winder 27,faintly outlined in the figure, when the vacuum cleaner is not inoperation. When the vacuum cleaning unit is to be used the cord or cable26 is pulled out to the desired length where it is automatically blockedagainst return to the cord winder. After the vacuum cleaning has beencompleted a catch member can be released so that by means of springforce, or in some other way, the cord can be rewound onto the flexwinder. Devices of the kind referred to are of frequent occurrence andwill be described only briefly below.

In the storage unit 11 a door 28 is provided on which various vacuumcleaning implements 29, 30, 31 can be stored. Inside an additional door32 there is a space for storage of additional dust containers 33. Thedoor 28 can be opened by operation of a corresponding push-button 34. Asalso seen in FIG. 3, an additional push-button 35 is provided for theoperation of the cord winder when the cord 26 is to be rewound. Theconstructive solution of the operation of the door 28 by thecorresponding push-button 34 can be performed in many different ways andthe invention offers no detailed teaching in this respect.

In FIG. 2 the vacuum cleaning unit 10 is shown with the extension tube13 being attached and with a vacuum cleaning nozzle 36 of any suitabletype being connected to the lower end of said extension tube. Here, thevacuum cleaning unit is ready for use.

The electric motor included in the unit 10 is intended for operation athigh speeed, in the range from 60,000 rpm and upwards. By the high speedand by the use of a suction fan designed with a turbine wheel thedimensions and weight can be drastically reduced at the same time as thevacuum cleaner is given the performance of a normal vacuum cleanerhaving an input power in the range up to 1500 W. The series motor, thecommon motor type in a vacuum cleaner, cannot be used anymore at thesehigh speeds and the choice points at a brushless electronicallycontrolled motor of the DC-type or the induction type. The choice ofmotor and the choice of the control electronics are discussed in theparallel application referred to and will not be described in detail inthis context. However, the disposition of the electronics is of interestand here the electronic components are provided on a circuit board 37which is disposed in the storage unit 11. Supply voltage is applied tothe electronics from a common mains outlet via a plug 38 and a cord orcable 39 and said supply voltage is converted by the electronics intosuitable control signals and power pulses which are being lead by thecord 26 to the motor, not shown, for driving same. The control buttons20, 21, 22 are provided for the control of the function of the vacuumcleaner, such as start/stop, outflow and rewinding of the cord, andcontrol of suction power. To this end, for certain functions thepush-buttons are connected to the electronics in the storage unit via aseparate lead-integrated with the flex 26.

FIG. 4 shows a cross-section of the storage unit 11 and, in particular,there is shown the cord winder with the rewound cord 26, a spring 40supplying the rewinding power and slip rings 41 disposed on ajournalling shaft 42 for the cord winder. The slip rings cooperate withcontacts 43 provided on the circuit board to electrically connect saidboard with the electric motor and the operating means in the vaccumcleaning unit 10. As an alternative to the spring driving arrangementthe cord winder can be provided with a small electric motor 44 (FIG. 5)which, via drive rolls 45, 46, suitably arranged, pays-out or dispensesthe cord or rewinds same onto the cord winder. This outputting andrewinding, respectively, can be controlled by means of the operatingbutton 21, shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. The parts 44-46 are faintly outlinedonly and they can be constructed in various ways within the scope of theinvention.

As shown in FIG. 2, in comparison with a traditional floor-supportedvacuum cleaner with attached hose, extension tube and vacuum cleaningnozzle the hand-hold unit is somewhat larger than the handle part of thetraditional vacuum cleaner and also slightly heavier because of thesuction fan and the motor contained in the hand-hold vacuum cleaningunit. However, said unit is easy to move around by the user as theweight of the unit is partly carried by the underlying surface via theextension tube and the vacuum cleaning nozzle. There is no floor unitwhich has to be dragged along the floor during vacuuming and inaddition, the hose has been eliminated. In removing crumbs or scrapsfrom tables and the like and in vacuum cleaning inside of vehicles theextension tube can be detached and replaced by a suitable smaller nozzlewhich can be directly connected to the coupling part 12. In this casethe vacuum cleaning unit has a size essentially the same as of abattery-operated, so-called car vacuum cleaner and has mainly the sameweight making it easy to use at the same time as the performance of thecleaner is at the same level as that of a traditional floor-supportedvacuum cleaner.

We claim:
 1. Vacuum cleaner system including a hand-held vacuum cleaningunit and a storage unit, said hand-held unit being arranged, when not inuse, to be positioned on said storage unit, said hand-held unitcomprising an electric motor and an associated suction fan, and havingan inlet opening and an outlet opening for an air stream from which dustparticles are to be removed, said particles being collected by a dustseparating device incorporated in the hand-held unit, coupling meansbeing provided at the inlet opening to fluidly connect said inletopening with a suction nozzle, said hand-held unit being electricallyconnected to said storage unit by means of an extensible cord, and anadditional cord, connecting said storage unit to a mains outlet, saidextensible cord permitting said hand-held unit to be removed from saidstorage unit and operated at a position remote from said storage unit.2. Vacuum cleaner system according to claim 1, wherein the motor isoperated at a speed such that a speed of the suction fan exceeds 60,000rpm.
 3. Vacuum cleaner system according to claim 1 or claim 2, whereinthe storage unit (11) comprises an electronic unit (37) for controllingoperation of the electric motor, the electronic unit being connected tothe electric motor in the hand-held unit (10) by the extensible cord(26).
 4. Vacuum cleaner system according to claim 3, wherein thehand-held unit comprises operating means for controlling operation ofthe vacuum cleaner.
 5. Vacuum cleaner system according to claim 4,wherein the hand-held unit operating means is connected to theelectronic unit by a lead provided by the extensible cord.